Tony Perkins floated as possible candidate for Louisiana Senate seat

Alex Pappas

Alex Pappas is a Washington D.C.-based political reporter for The Daily Caller. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and the Mobile Press-Register. Pappas is a graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., where he was editor-in-chief of The Sewanee Purple. While in college, he did internships at NBC's Meet the Press and the White House. He grew up in Mobile, Ala., where he graduated from St. Paul's Episcopal School. He and his wife live on Capitol Hill.

As Republicans search for a candidate to challenge Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in 2014, some conservatives are floating a familiar face: Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council.

While multiple GOP sources tell The Daily Caller they think Perkins is interested in a campaign, other Republicans in Louisiana and Washington say they haven’t heard anything about Perkins gearing up for a run.

Other conservatives in the Christian conservative community are reacting favorably to the idea.

“Tony Perkins is a thoughtful public policy leader, credible candidate for U.S. Senate and someone who has represented Louisiana values in Washington DC and not the other way around,” Gary Marx, the executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, told TheDC.

“He would be a strong addition to a burgeoning conservative caucus in the U.S. Senate, should he choose to go down that path,” Marx said.

It’s not clear if Perkins, a former Louisiana state representative, is taking the prospect of another run seriously. His spokesman, JP Duffy, declined to comment to TheDC when asked if Perkins is considering a run.

Perkins served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2004. In 2002, he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate, losing in the GOP primary to run against Landrieu.

Though he became the president of the FRC in 2003, he still maintains a home in Louisiana.

As for other Republicans eyeing the seat: Rep. Bill Cassidy announced Wednesday that he’s running. Former Rep. Jeff Landry is also thought to be contemplating a Senate campaign.

Rep. John Fleming, another Republican, announced Thursday he won’t run for the seat.